India Maritime Week 2025, held at Mumbai from 27th October to 31st October, witnessed strong international participation from Industry leaders and industry stakeholders from leading maritime nations, underscoring the event‘s growing stature as a global platform for collaboration and innovation in the maritime sector.
Against this backdrop, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, Tuticorin, had signed 29 MoUs with key stakeholders on Port Modernization, Ship Building, Information Technology, Sustainability, and other services, collectively valued at ₹90,936 crore. Among the MoUs signed, three major MoUs in the green energy sector collectively represent an investment exceeding ₹45,400 crore.
The first agreement was penned with Green Infra Renewable Energy Farms Private Limited (GIREFPL), a Sembcorp group company, for the establishment of a common storage farm for green ammonia and other hydrogen derivatives, involving an investment of ₹25,400 crore.
The second MoU was exchanged with ACME Green Hydrogen and Chemicals Private Limited for a 1,200 MTPD Green Ammonia Project valued at ₹15,000 crore, whilst the third was signed with CGS Energy Private Limited for a 300 TPD Green Ammonia production facility, at an investment of ₹5,000 crore.
These projects are set to significantly bolster the port’s standing as a future-ready Green Hydrogen Hub for southern India. The event also featured the launch of the Case study by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, on Sustainable Transformation and Decarbonization in India’s Maritime Sector – VOC Port’s Journey to a Green Port.
The case study highlights the inherent challenges of transitioning to sustainable operations, while showcasing VOC Port’s achievements and its emerging role as a hub for green hydrogen initiatives. The case study was released by Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in the presence of Vijay Kumar, IAS, Secretary, MoPSW, S. Venkatesapathy, Joint Secretary, MoPSW, Susanta Kumar Purohit, IRSEE, Chairperson, VOC Port Authority and Prof. Ramya Venkateswaran, IIM Calcutta. On the concluding day of the event featuring the awards ceremony, VOC Port was honoured with the ‘Green Visionary’ award for bringing out the ongoing and future green initiatives of the Port in the Port’s pavilion.
On behalf of the Port, Susanta Kumar Purohit, IRSEE, Chairperson and Rajesh Soundararajan, IAS, received the award from Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in the presence of Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and senior officials from MoPSW. Susanta Kumar Purohit, IRSEE, Chairperson, VOC Port Authority, in his message, conveyed that VOC Port has sealed multiple MoUs with various stakeholders, and we anticipate a substantial inflow of investments and the generation of many new jobs. We are working extremely hard to transform VOC Port into a port of the future, with green energy initiatives and the development of an outer harbour.
